Recent reviews by girolamocastaldo

This is an hidden gem: sure, there are some technical issues mainly due to age (4:3 only, audio mixing sometimes off, some missing descriptions), but the amazing plot, script and characters more than make up for them.

Trails games are not as popular as, say, Final Fantasy, but they have some features which, in my opinion, put them on an entirely different level from the competition.
I'm talking about the unbelievable care for the characters and the world building, in particular.

Apart from the excellent shaping of the main cast, there are tons of non-playing characters (NPCs), each one with tons of dialogue lines.
Basically, each time the player advances the main story, all the micro-stories of all NPCs advance as well.

This makes the game world feel extremely alive and varied: it’s like watching the story progress through the eyes of hundreds of (more or less) active and interested observers.
On top of that, the world becomes a character itself, thanks to the incredible care put in its building, be it geographically, politically or economically.
And if that’s not enough, there’s a fascinating and mysterious underworld, threatening to change forever the visible one.

All the above mentioned features shine particularly bright in the Crossbell arc (Trails from Zero + Trails to Azure), which is also a great entry point to the saga, if you don’t want/have time to play the previous chapters (Trails in the Sky + Trails in the Sky SC + Trails in the Sky the 3rd).

Summing it up, I believe this is simply the best JRPG ever.

As it stands, I think this is already a very good game, with the potential to become a masterpiece with future patches/DLCs.

It offers a different challenge based on the country you play as: as France, your economy basically runs by itself (you can always improve it, of course) and you can take on most great powers while swiftly colonizing Africa; as Lanfang, adding a single level to your construction sector can crash your economy, if you are not careful, and you need the help of Qing to fight most of your (very weak) neighbors.
Too bad the game lacks a bit of flavor right now, so most differences between countries lie in how to mechanically run them, instead of how their specific history develops.

The economic system is very good, with many synergies to be mindful of when building your industry, a lot of variety (production methods in particular) and an interesting trading system to complement it.
The budget screen is also very clear and easy to manage, with various taxes and governmental wages to balance the books.

On the other hand, the war system is pretty buggy right now (my few crashes and reloads have all happened during wars), but in principle it brings a breath of fresh air to the grand strategy genre, finally allowing you to give generic instructions to your generals/admirals and let them take care of the details: after all, the main focus of the game lies elsewhere.

Speaking of which, aside from economy, diplomacy and politics play a big role: with the former, you set your stance on (basically) all international relations (both friendly and not), while war is just a (extreme) tool to enforce your will; with the latter, you control internal affairs, by engaging with different interest groups and enacting/repealing different laws and decrees.
Both systems need some polishing, but for the most part they work pretty well.

Finally, there's the tech system, with the tree split in three main branches (production, military, social), with both active and passive progress.
No complaints here: choices are meaningful and variety is good, without being overwhelming.

As in Victoria II, the core of the game is your population, which heavily influences your actions in every aspect of the management of your country.
If you haven't got enough workers, you can't staff your buildings, and without the necessary qualifications the more advanced production methods are useless.
If you haven't got enough soldiers, you can't fight wars, and if you are forced to conscript civilians, your industry is in for a tough time.
If the standard of living of your pops is below their expectations, they are discriminated or you try to enact unpopular laws, be prepared to face a revolution.
If the average literacy of your people is low, say goodbye to efficient research.

The UI can be both a boon and a pain: using nested tooltips, you can dig very deep in the intricacies of the game, without being overwhelmed by walls of text; on the other hand, some important info could be more readily available.

The tutorial is very good: some parts feel unpolished, but in general it does a pretty good job of explaining how to do things and, most importantly, why to do them.

On the technical side, graphics are very good, particularly when zooming in on the map; also, the OST is great: apart from the nice remastered songs from Vic2 (preorder bonus), the new tracks are very well done, with a couple of excellent ones (you can also listen to them on YouTube, anyway).

So, summing it up, if you can afford the price and are not afraid of some bugs/lack of polish, I'd say go for it right now.
Personally, I'm already having a lot of fun, and I can't wait to see how I'll enjoy it even more when it's improved (next big patch will be released by the end of the year).

If you are not going to play the entire saga (tip: you should), then at least make sure to play this one (and its follow-up Trails to Azure).

Reveries Under the Moonlight is probably my favorite metroidvania, so I was eager to play this one as well, but sadly it's just too much of a hassle to get it to work on modern controllers; plus, the UI is pretty terrible (e.g. you can't access the options menu during the game).

I sincerely hope the game will be remastered in the future: maybe Minoria being bundled will bring more fans to the saga and serve the purpose.

Story looks quite good, but gameplay is just like your run-of-the-mill mobile game, so only recommended to casual gamers.

One of the first puzzles consists of filling a basket and pushing it on an X spot: easy enough, but the game didn't register the placement correctly the first time, so I had to keep trying new ideas, until it just worked the second time.
Soon after that, there's a table with three dishes on it and you must place each one on the corresponding geometric shape: easy again, except you can't just pick them up and place 'em properly, but you have to slide them on the table instead.

Definitely no go for me.

Adding a much needed (and deserved) positive review here.

It's a very enjoyable, fun, '80s-style visual novel, which can easily be completed in a single session or two, maybe to cool down between two big games.
Characters expressions are ridiculously over-the-top, dialogues are believable and entertaining, story is nice & cheesy (choices are mostly inconsequential, but usually add some laughs to the show).

Maybe full price is a bit on the high side, but if you get it on sale (or, even better, in a bundle) it's perfectly alright.

This is a cool game for mecha lovers, with lots of action, both ranged and close combat, and rad "execution" moves; all that supported by nice graphics & sound and a distinct old-school anime vibe.
Maybe the story is a bit generic, but there a lot of different missions, with plenty of upgrades and customization for your mecha, if you are into that kind of thing.

Easily recommended if you are looking for a fast-paced, spectacular mecha-fighting game.

It's easy, linear and there are some bugs, but the story, graphics and voices are good; plus, it doesn't last so long as to get boring.